Since March 31, China has officially banned non-state sanctioned VPNs, while businesses and Internet users are waiting anxiously for the ban to take effect. However, there is not much information yet from the Chinese authorities about how and when exactly the ban will be implemented.
“We understand the concern of local and international businesses in China, as well as the needs of scholars, scientists, students and others who vitally need VPNs to freely access the World Wide Web,” said Marty P. Kamden, CMO of NordVPN. “NordVPN believes that everyone should have the freedom to do business, to study or to do scientific research without restrictions.”
China’s Great Firewall is an enormous effort by the Chinese government to control the Internet. VPNs allow companies and individuals to securely access websites that are blocked in China, including Google, Facebook, many news sites, and other social media sites and search engines.
The new Chinese regulations ban anyone from using VPNs that are not approved by the government. Businesses have reported that so far there had been no announcements from authorities about the ban and they were concerned about the lack of information. Many wonder if independent VPNs they have been using will still work.
“NordVPN is working in China with no problems,” said Marty P. Kamden. “We plan to continue these operations, and we are constantly looking for workarounds in China so that people can freely enjoy the Internet.”
A VPN service encrypts all the traffic flow between the Internet and a user’s device. Furthermore, it can prevent tracking software and governments from monitoring the user’s Internet activity and helps hide their IP address.